Most 5K and 10K races, along with their longer marathon-type cousins, lend themselves to a certain mindset. They favor the distance runner who likes to think about things like pacing, placement of aid stations, carbohydrate loading, negative splits, etc.
Any given weekend within state lines, runners have their choice of at least one or two such races. The calendar of events at ArkansasRunner.com lists 20 during June alone.
But after a runner leaves the high school track team, there aren't many events that favor the sprinter.
The Go! Mile presented by Go! Running in Little Rock is the exception, providing not merely a one-mile contest but six of them, one after another.
Beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday, this annual event will fire off heats of one-mile competitions -- along a new route that starts and ends at the Clinton Presidential Center. The description on the race website says a lot: "One lap. One mile. One fast little race."
The running strategy is simple. There are no aid stations and no need to worry about pacing for the next mile. From the time the starting gun fires, you just run flat-out until you cross the finish line.
The starting line will be slightly west of Dean Kumpuris Street on President Clinton Avenue, and the entire course consists of only a handful of blocks, a sampling from six streets.
The six heats are The First Mile (7 a.m.), women 40 and older (7:30), men 40 and up (7:50), women 39 and younger (8:10), men 39 and younger (8:30), Elite Heat for men and women (8:50 ).
The First Mile is designed for new runners and people who take 20 minutes or more to go a mile.
Elite Heat is open only to men who can run a mile in less than 5.5 minutes, and women who can run a mile in under 6 minutes.
All racers will be chip timed, and awards will be given out to the top finishers by overall time and by age group, not by individual heat.
There will also be a Kids Mini-Mile consisting of approximately a half-mile race for ages 9 and younger.
Online registration for the mile race costs $15, or $25 if racers want a souvenir T-shirt. Every adult registration includes one free Mini-Mile entry or parents can register their children in the Mini-Mile for $5 per child.
Runners may register online through Thursday, or anytime at the Go! Running store, 1819 N. Grant St.
Packet pickup will be available 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday at Go! Running and at the park on race day.
All proceeds from the Go! Mile benefit the Winston Penn Wardlaw Memorial Fund, which provides scholarships for young men to attend Little Rock Catholic High School.
For more information about Go! Running and the Go! Mile, visit gorunning.com or call (501) 663-6800.
Ozark Valley Triathlon
Over the hills and through the woods to Lake Wedington it goes. The annual Ozark Valley Triathlon will again line up along the shore of Lake Wedington to start at 8 a.m. Sunday.
This year's course will consist of a 1,000-yard swim in open water, 19-mile bike ride and 4-mile run in and around Lake Wedington Recreation Area.
Those who do not wish to do all of the legs can sign up as part of a two- or three-person team (coed teams welcome). There will also be an Aquabike option, in which individuals can participate in the swimming and cycling portions of the race, no running.
The swim course is a rectangle with buoys. It finishes on a slight uphill, 200 meters away from the transition area.
The cycling course is on newly paved roads with a few rolling hills that will make for fast times. The steepest portion of the course, Weaver Hill, comes at the 6-mile mark and is half a mile long.
The running course is a loop on a paved road that participants will run twice before finishing. Similar to the cycling course, the terrain is rolling with one large hill.
Participants will compete in groups based on age divisions: juniors, ages 12-15 and 16-19; adults, grouped in five-year increments; masters, 40-49; grand masters, 50-59; senior masters, 60-plus; Clydesdale (men who weigh 220 pounds and more), 39 and younger and 40 plus; and Athena (women 165 pounds and more), all ages.
The park opens at 6 a.m. Sunday, when participants will be allowed in the transition area to claim their spots.. At 7:30, there is a mandatory pre-race meeting with a USA Triathlon official. Racing starts at 8 with three waves starting five minutes apart.
A USAT license is required to participate. A one-day license is $12 ($10 for ages 17 and younger) and can be bought online at usatriathlon.org or at packet pickup. Entry costs $80, $95 for teams or $65 for the Aquabike participants. Race T-shirts are available at an extra cost.
Registration can be done online at ozarkvalleytriathlon.com.
Packet pickup will be 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Lewis and Clark Outfitters, 4915 S. Thompson St., Springdale. There will also be an opportunity to register during this time. There will be no race-day registration, although packet pickup will be available from 6 to 7:30 a.m. on race day. All racers will pick up their timing chips on race day.
The staging area is at 15689 Lake Wedington Entry Road, Fayetteville.
In addition to this triathlon, organizers from All Sports Productions are also putting on two more USAT-sanctioned triathlons Saturday. The Tri-Sport Club Kids Triathlon for ages 5-14 and the Retro Tri Series for 13 or older.
More information about all three events can be obtained by visiting allsportsproductionsinc.com or by calling (479) 521-7766.
ActiveStyle on 06/15/2015